


numbers

by ralf



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Humor, haha these tags make this look like a mess, identity crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23841592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralf/pseuds/ralf
Summary: Magnus isn't even sure what draws his attention to Jace. It might be the sudden crunch of his eyebrows or the way his shoulders tense. It's gone a moment later, hidden behind a grin that's a bit too tight to be anything but a facade.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Jace Wayland, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 84





	numbers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Juh_Nunes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juh_Nunes/gifts).



> For Juh_Nunes :D I got inspired by your fic [Workings of Fate](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20571908/chapters/48836684) again, I hope you like this little surprise :D

“I hate to say this, Magnus, but I think the confetti gun may be a bit much,” Izzy says, shaking her head.

Magnus pouts. It was a long shot, but.... “Just imagine Alec's face when it goes off.” Priceless.

“I am,” Izzy says slowly. “That's why I think it's a bad idea. We're trying to keep things low-key, remember?”

“Magnus didn't know how to do things low-key if his life depended on it,” Jace teases.

Magnus raises his hands. “It's not my fault I'm fabulous all day, every day.”

Clary chuckles. “As much as I love the idea, I'm with Izzy on this one.”

“Fine,” Magnus admits defeat. He'll just keep it in mind for next year. Desensitizing Alexander to parties is an endeavor he painstakingly plans to undertake, no matter how much patience it might require. (...Maybe two or three more years for the confetti gun is a more realistic estimation. In any case it will be worth the wait.)

“I vote for plastic spiders as table decoration,” Jace says in a clear bid to derail the conversation.

“Denied,” Izzy cuts in immediately.

Jace waves his hand. “Why? It's autumn, we'll be eating in the garden. I think little spiders on the table would compliment the ambience quite nicely.”

“ _Denied,”_ Izzy repeats with finality, shooting Jace a slightly exasperated look, though she can't entirely hide her amused grin. A calculating glint enters her eyes. “Except...”

“What? What is it?” Jace asks, wide grin already splitting his face in anticipation. “I'll do anything.”

Magnus wonders if he'll have to intervene.

Izzy smiles sweetly at Jace. “I'll allow spider decorations if we make _your_ next birthday party duck-themed.”

Jace recoils in horror, spluttering out wild rejections and both Izzy and Clary burst into giggles. Magnus laughs too. He should have never doubted Izzy.

“Okay guys, we need to focus,” Izzy drowns out Jace's whining about the unfairness of his life and the grave betrayal by his family. “You know it wasn't easy to arrange this meeting without Alec being around, so we need to get as much planning done as possible before he comes here. His birthday party has to be the ultimate best so he'll allow us to plan his next ones, too.”

They fought Alec hard for this. It was a joint effort mostly between Magnus and Izzy, pestering Alec at home and at the Institute until he gave up party planning rights with an eye roll and a fond sigh.

“Since the twelfth is a Saturday this year we'll be able to celebrate on the actual day of his birthday,” Izzy lectures on. “Any ideas how we can work that into the celebration?”

Clary suggests incorporating it into the cake's design but Magnus is distracted. He's not even sure what draws his attention to Jace. It might be the sudden crunch of his eyebrows or the way his shoulders tense. It's gone a moment later, hidden behind a grin that's a bit too tight to be anything but a facade.

Jace grabs his drink from the table and gets up. “Sorry, I need a break.” With that he dashes over to the balcony doors.

“Jace, are you serious!” Izzy yells after him, but he waves her off.

“All your talking about ducks made me dizzy, I need some air.”

“You--” She breaks off, shaking her head. “Ass.”

Half on auto-pilot Magnus gets up to follow Jace. He's not sure what exactly just happened, but he recognizes hurt when he sees it, and he doesn't want to leave it unacknowledged.

“There's really no need to check up on him, he's just being his usual slacker self,” Izzy grumbles.

Clary leans into her side placatingly before grabbing a paper and starting a sketch for the cake design. It seems to mollify Izzy some, and then Magnus is out the balcony doors and focuses on Jace. He's leaning against the railing, his back a rigid line against the setting sun, the glass in his hand little more than an alibi.

Magnus is hesitant to approach him. He wonders if going after Jace was a mistake. Both Izzy and Clary are closer to him, and Jace probably doesn't feel like talking it out with _them_ on a good day, much less with Magnus... He shakes the thought off. He's here now, and Jace must have heared him already, so he might as well make the best of it.

He walks up to Jace and leans against the banister beside him, not too close to seem demanding, but close enough.

The moment hangs between them heavily. He can feel Jace's stance tightening slightly. This weird anticipatory tension is doing neither of them any favors, Magnus can tell. He should _do_ something. Now is the time to act, not to second-guess his capability to actually navigate the situation he so neatly placed himself in.

“You don't have to say anything,” he settles on, then adds. “But you can, if you want.”

Seconds drag on. Magnus keeps his gaze fixed on the familiar skyline ahead of them, relaxing his posture, projecting calm. He's pretty sure Jace is side-eying him.

“It's nothing,” Jace finally says, and there's a note of defiance in his voice that Magnus thinks is directed at himself. Magnus is surprised he said anything at all but then it's not unlikely that Jace is only opening up to prove how _irrelevant_ this matter is to him. Magnus knows _that_ feeling. But if it leads to Jace getting whatever this is off his chest instead of letting it fester that's not the worst possible outcome.

“I just realized...” He snorts. “It's silly. But my birthday isn't any longer my birthday, is it?”

Magnus turns to him, confused. Jace meets his eyes not longer than a second before he stares ahead again and shrugs, the movement jerky. “January eighteenth is the birthday of Michael Wayland's son. But not mine.” His lips press together but Magnus can still see the bitter curl of their corners. “ _My_ birthday is the day my mother died.”

The words twist in Magnus's stomach like lead. He has no idea what to say so he says nothing.

Jace shifts and Magnus notices the phone clutched in his grip. Jace fiddles with it. “I could look it up but...”

But knowing it would mean acknowledging it and Magnus can see that Jace is nowhere near that.

Jace lets out a deep breath. “I believed I was a Wayland for more than ten years. I played at being a Lightwood almost as long. I thought I was a Morgenstern and now I'm a Herondale. What does any of that even mean?”

 _Who am I?_ Magnus hears, and aches. There were times, long and dark and lonely times, when he asked himself this exact same thing.

He inches closer towards Jace. He's not sure touch would be welcomed so he keeps the smallest distance between their shoulders but his voice is sure when he says, “You're Alec's parabatai. You're Isabelle's brother, Clary's boyfriend. And you're my friend. That's what matters and that will never change.”

Jace's fingers still around his phone.

“Names and numbers hold little significance to who you are. The people who love you do so regardless.”

He makes himself face Jace and finds him already looking. His eyes are dark in the dim of sundown and Magnus wonders if he too finds it easier to show vulnerability when the light is low. “Believe me, I would know.”

They stare at each other for a long moment. It strangely feels like a trial of strength at first, but then Jace's gaze mellows out like they've come to an understanding. When he finally looks away it's not evasive but trustful, like he's no longer wary of having Magnus see his exposed emotions.

This time Magnus doesn't hesitate to reach out. His hand settles on Jace's shoulder with certainty and Jace leans into the point of contact.

“Thank you,” he says quietly, the slightest uptick to his mouth.

Magnus smiles warmly in return. “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> Me @ muse: Okay let's write that Magnus&Clary bonding fic  
> Muse: Oh, would you look at that? A Magnus&Jace bonding fic  
> Me: ............  
> Muse: :)  
> Me: ..........................I guess there's always next week
> 
> ps update is late because i got distracted watching s4 of casa de papel hahahaha (totally worth it!!)


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